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LiA Bespoke Project – Tying the Knot in Japan
As is so often the case, Japan's relationship with the spiritual is quite unique.
LiA Bespoke Project: Honoriffic!
It's fair to say that honorifics play an outsized role in the Japanese language. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project: Omake – Ranking Rumiko
I could easily have gone five deep just with Inuyasha.
LiA Bespoke Project – Pachinko: Balls Out
You may think you know pachinko, but you probably don't know the full story. I sure don't.
LiA Bespoke Project: Yakyuu For You
It may be American’s national pastime, but baseball is more popular in Japan these days than it is in the U.S..
LiA Bespoke Project – The Tournament Arc
When you've watches hundreds and hundreds of series like I have, how are you supposed to recall all of them on demand?
LiA Bespoke Project – Hanko? You’re Welcome!
If you want quirky, Japan is the culture for you. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project – Truth in Advertising: The Japanese Konbini
Finally, an institution that lives up to its name.
LiA Bespoke Project: Itadakimasu! – Japan’s Food Culture
The Japanese have certainly become quite sophisticated foodies, but it wasn’t always that way.
Protected: LiA Bespoke Project – The Chrysanthemum Taboo
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
LiA Bespoke Project: Top 10 Mystery Anime
Yes, I know I didn't include that one. I'm just not that much of a fan.
LiA Bespoke Project: Best of the 2000’s in Anime – Project Engage!
Let's get noughty. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project: Best of the 2000’s in Anime
This project would be really interesting to take on. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project: Ayakashi, Mononoke, Youkai – What’s in a Name?
October. Halloween, Beltane - the occult is in the air.
LiA Bespoke Project: Guardian Enzo’s Top 10 Manga
The people have spoken. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project: Tournament Arcs Overtime – Best Battles
As a companion piece to the main tournament arcs article, Nicc asked me to include some of my favorite battles from anime.
LiA Bespoke Project : The Career of Toriyama Akira
Even if I never felt a personal connection to Toriyama Akira's fiction, I found myself strongly impacted by his passing.
LiA Bespoke Project: Guardian Enzo’s Top 10 Manga
It goes without saying that this list was incredibly difficult to put together. Read more
New Year’s in Japan with Kids
With New Year’s right around the corner, there’s plenty to do at home and around Japan for kids, parents, and even Jiji and Baba.
LiA Bespoke Project: Natsumatsuri – the Summer Festival in Anime and Life
Natsumatsuri which have been part of the fabric of Japanese life for centuries and anime virtually since it started. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project: Dessert – The Perfect Dinner (and Companions)
The food and drink is important, but so is the company.
LiA Bespoke Project – A Crow by Any Other Name
They’re annoying - loud, garbage-strewing, pet-threatening - but we remain fascinated by such fiercely intelligent creatures living in our midst.
LiA Bespoke Project: Tying the Knot – Extra Marital Affairs
A series is about more than the protagonists.
LiA Bespoke Project: Guardian Enzo’s Top 10 Manga – #10
In many ways, this is the perfect sports manga. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project – Anime’s Top 5(ish) Product Placements
The recent overload of Suntory self-promotion in Bartender prompted a discussion of product placement in anime.
LiA Bespoke Project: Guardian Enzo’s Top 10 Manga List
The people have spoken. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project – Anime Pals From Around the World
Anime may be a Japanese medium, but its settings know no borders.
LiA Bespoke Project : A BokuYaba Senryuu For Dark Flame Master
With 136 brilliant BokuYaba chapters in the books, how am I supposed to limit myself to 17 syllables and no spoilers?
LiA Bespoke Project : The Top 10 Sports Anime – Honorable Mention
LiA Bespoke is back. Once again the benefactor is the incredibly generous LiA MVP Nicc. And the commission this time is a straightforward one.
LiA Bespoke Project: Yakyuu For You Extra Innings – Ballpark Food
And no ghost runner either.
LiA Bespoke Project – Live-action Anime on Stage and Screen
Anime and manga has another side, little known in the West. Live-action animanga is a huge and lucrative industry in Japan.
LiA Bespoke Project: The Tournament Arc Double-Overtime – The Olympics
You gotta love sports.
Otoshidama: New Year’s Money for Kids in Japan
Learn about one of the most delightful (and eagerly anticipated) New Year’s traditions: Otoshidama, money for kids in Japan.
LiA Bespoke Review and Project Announcement: Mouryou no Hako – 1-3
A new chapter for LiA begins... Read more
LiA Bespoke Project: The 2000-2009 Anime Top 10 – Honorable Mention
Any Top 10 list is, by nature, highly personal. Read more
LiA Bespoke Project: It’s a Rumic World – The Career of Takahashi Rumiko
When you’d almost universally referred to only by your given name, that’s a mark of high status indeed.
LiA Bespoke Project: Hello, Goodbye – Anime’s Best First and Final Episodes – #5
The hardest thing about this topic is trying to remember - in this case, all the first and last episodes I’ve really loved.
LiA Bespoke Project : The Top 5 College Anime (for Dark Flame Master)
This is another one of those requests that sounds easy but it actually maddeningly difficult.
New Year’s In The New Normal
How to sort out the last of 2021 to give 2022 a fresh start.
LiA Bespoke Project: Hello, Goodbye – Anime’s Best First and Final Episodes (Wrap-up)
As always, whenever one compiles a "best of" (or personal favorites) list, what's not on it draws as much attention as what is.
LiA Bespoke Project : That Niche (You Know the One I Mean) – Top 10
You've heard met talk about a certain "niche" on the schedule, and it's easier to give examples of it than to define it.
New Year’s and what that means in America vs. Japan
(I’m going to try really hard to not get hungry or melt into a puddle of embarrassment from talking about New Years’ traditions.) SO New Year’s in anime…
New Year’s Lucky Boxes!
Last month I managed to visit Japan for the first time in almost 5 years. You bet I bought stuff for Lucky Boxes. These could be a blind…
2023 New Year’s Resolutions
With the new year comes New Year’s resolutions, and what better resolution than to make sure you make time to enjoy the things you love.
New Year’s news recap
Happy new year (admittedly a couple weeks late)! I’ve been distracted from putting together news recaps for a while, but that just means a lot more things to…
Letters from Japan: ‘What’s Wrong With A Traditional New Year’s?’
Savvy Tokyo's resident "Love in Japan" columnist, Hilary Keyes, answers anonymous questions from readers on everything from dating in Japan to women’s health issues. Got a question you’d…
2021 New Year’s Lucky Boxes!
As you may remember, this autumn I engaged upon a massive renovation of my office. That meant clearing *everything* out, every box of books, every bookshelf, every file…
New Year’s Goals For 2022
In 2021, I did not mention my New Years’ Goals on this blog. I still made 5 of them, and I only managed to achieve two of them.…
ACA Cinema Project Presents New Films From Japan
Runs at New York’s IFC Center Feb. 10 – 16
TheOASG Podcast: New Year’s Special Edition!
Hosts Justin and Helen talk Fall anime and the weirdest pop culture news of 2020 in the New Year's Special Edition of TheOASG Podcast!